Champion of The Hearth (Reworked)
by TheHeartyHobbit
Summary: Perseus is found alone and broken in the streets of New York. Seemingly abandoned he awaits his time to die but a Goddess tired of having no children to influence fate decides to intervene.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Droplets of rain fell heavily from the dark clouds that gathered above the skyscrapers of New York. The water snaked its way down roofs and windows, forming into vast lakes on the streets below. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the babble of the city was drowned out as its citizens took shelter from the growing storm.

A single groan escaped and managed to rise above the din of the thunder. The owner of the sob sat huddled against a shop door: the windows boarded up and garbage bags lining its pavement. Rain trickled through the boy's shock of black hair causing it to go slick with moisture. The figure couldn't have been more than eighteen, garbed in only a torn orange T-shirt and a pair of shorts so covered in grime and rainwater they may as well have been black. The boy's form shivered from the water soaking him and he turned his head up towards the sky. Dim sea green eyes stared up at the storm, and he whispered "I should've been better..." as he hung his head in shame. The heavens opened up and pelted New York like it was trying to erase its filth.

The boy soon fell into a fitful sleep; his hands clenched into fists and an occasional moan broke free from his lips: all the whilst the storm raged. The wind battered at windows, and lightning struck the tips of skyscrapers creating a rare flash of brilliance in the black maelstrom above the city. Yet the boy slumbered despite the fury of the storm, the rain soaking him through and winds nearly causing him to be pulled away. But, he slept as if the storm was nothing compared to what was inside.

The cold light of day brought with it the demise of the storm, and the light creeped like fingers towards the boy. With a jolt, he awoke as the first ray of light fell on his face, blinding him as his bloodshot eyes cracked open. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he stared down between his legs into a clear puddle staring at the image that faced him. A once handsome face was marred by misery; the reflection showed a mouth that seemed as if it had never laughed. The boy ran his hand through his bedraggled hair and it appeared to him that he had nothing more to give.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen young Perseus." A lilting voice called out, breaking the silence that came after the storm.

The boy immediately looked to his left for the source of the voice and he quickly identified what appeared to be an eight year old girl sat on the curb, but he knew better. Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders as she stared out across the street, and the Perseus' shoulders tensed at her arrival.

"You know, there was a time that you would have bowed to me Perseus. You were always respectful like that. Although, I suppose that must seem like a life time ago." She commented wistfully.

He continued to stare at her with his face devoid of expression. She sighed.

"Do you know why I'm here Perseus?" She carried on and he shook his head at her.

"I thought not, you are a man devoid of hope Perseus. As Hephaestus might say, you're broken. I would like to help rebuild you if you will, give you something to aspire to; if you choose to accept of course. I can always leave you to your... gutter" She offers with a subtle hint of a smile as she described his current location.

Perseus looked up at her and stared into her eyes as she turned to face him. Where her eyes should have been being instead flickering orbs of orange flame that danced to and fro. His jaw seemed to set like stone as his eyes took on a steely appearance with this sudden offer.

"What would you have me do?" Perseus asked bluntly and already imagining the different tasks he'd have to undergo.

"You would be my champion. The other gods bear children and it is they who decide our fates whilst I must sit and watch. Do you know how agonising it is to see demi-gods be all but abandoned by their parents as they are slaughtered by monsters?" Hestia cried out as her cheeks become inflamed with passion, but before she can continue Perseus cut her off.

"As a matter of fact I do have some experience with what you speak of." He said rather coldly and Hestia very quickly seemed to remember who she was speaking to.

"You're right. I forget who I am talking to. You have suffered a great deal, but with your help I could alleviate the suffering of all demi-gods; they could lead normal lives without being under constant threat of death. You would do what is best for the Olympian family, regardless of status. Will you be my vassal?" Hestia spoke passionately and her eyes almost pleaded for Perseus to accept.

After a moment of silence from Perseus, hesitation entered Hestia's eyes as the demi-god sat motionless. Further silence passed and disappointment was clear to see on her face as she went to stand.

"Wait." Perseus stated calmly as he caught her arm from where he sat. "I'll help you, but I want it to be on my terms. Nobody knows where I am. You hear me? Nobody. And especially not Camp: I don't want to go back there."

All this was said as Perseus remained sat down and staring at an apartment building advertising a new tenancy.

"Of course my child, when would you like to get started?" Hestia said as a smile slowly spread across her angelic face.

"As soon as possible."

With a nod, twin pillars of flame quickly enveloped the two in an inferno of light, and, with a sudden burst of flame, the two disappeared from sight.

 **So I feel like I have a bit of explaining to do, but to cut a long story short, I'm back. I'll be rewriting this story with new bits and pieces and hopefully not disappoint you guys as much this time round. For those of you who are interested, my original version will still be available to read so feel free to check it out. Hope you enjoy the changes and please leave a review or a PM if you enjoy it. Thank you to those who have stuck with this or are still paying attention to it basically.**

 **The Hearty Hobbit**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The night was bleak with clouds obscuring the little light that fell to Earth from the moon and stars. A figure lying in bed stirred restlessly as a cold wind crept its way into the room from the open window. A loud bang filled the room as the window slammed shut and the figure bolted upright in panic. Blindly, the man fumbled for the light switch as fear began to rise unbidden in his heart. With a click the light switch was flicked upwards, but no light filled the extravagant bedroom. The man, still in darkness, cursed before flicking the switch up and down to no ends and the room remained shrouded in pitch black.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, the man placed one foot down onto the floor. He instantly recoiled as his toes were greeted by a pool of icy cold water. The man's breathing grew faster and, without touching the floor, groped for his bedside table. In his haste, several items fell to the floor with a sickening splash before his meaty hands clutched tightly around one item: a lighter. With shaking hands, the man sparked the lighter and for his efforts was rewarded with a meagre flame. The room was suddenly dimly lit and now he could appreciate the inky pools of water that occupied his floor like shadows.

A gust of wind suddenly appeared to extinguish his light and once more he was plunged into darkness. He cursed once more, the harsh words seemed to comfort him, and he desperately tried to spark the flame once more. Flick flick went the spark wheel, but no sparks emerged. Swearing even louder now, he managed to revive the flame once again, however another blast of wind extinguished it before he could gain a better look at the room. As he attempted to relight the flame once again, a single thought slowly occurred to him: the window slamming shut was what had woken him in the first place. The temperature of the room seemed to suddenly drop and the man's heart began to pound in his ears.

 _"_ _The window isn't open. The window isn't open. The window isn't open. The window isn't open."_ The man's thoughts looped like a broken record in his head as the impossibility of the situation set in.

A sudden flare of light brought him back to reality and, with trembling hands, he gazed down at the small flame he held in incredulity. A small smile spread across his face at the sight of such warmth. He became certain that the wind was simply a draft and the water simply a plumbing issue. As he lifted the lighter up and looked across the room, the smile faded. A bloated corpse stared straight at him with empty sockets and, as the man began to scream, filthy black water began to gush from its mouth and eyes.

The lighter fell to the floor and the room once again fell to darkness.

The forest was silent save for the soft crackling of a fire; the occasional spark drifted towards the cloudless sky and the flames casted dark shadows. The boy sat near the fire, slowly feeding it fuel from a diminishing pile of timber. His black hair had grown longer and wilder but his eyes had regained their keen look of determination: the emerald green eyes rekindled by hope. The boy was older and with it came a sense of quiet maturity that seemingly caused the forest to be silent as if out of respect. The boy was no longer a boy. He was a man ravished by loss and war, but still fighting for what he believed right. A thick hooded jacket of a material so black it may as well have been made of shadow garbed him, matching his demeanour perfectly.

The snap of a broken twig echoed out through the clearing and yet the boy did not move instead choosing to call out.

"Lady Hestia, you are becoming careless." He called out in a low voice.

"Or is it that I am simply letting my presence be known to my champion?" A lilting voice replied.

"Either way, I know you're here, so come and greet me." Perseus replied, his voice unchanged.

Lady Hestia stepped out from the murky tree line and into the clearing, the fire seemingly leapt at her presence and she smiled as it grew stronger. She looked exactly as she did one year ago when she found him at Hades' door: her brown hair flowed down her back and her red dress seemed to flicker with embers.

"Do you not think what you did to that man was a little unnecessary?" She asked.

"He got what was coming to him." Perseus replied nonchalantly.

"And what is that? The need for constant psychiatric help for the rest of his mortal life?"

"You asked me to protect this forest, and he was in the way of that." Perseus responded, seemingly unaffected by her comments.

"I suppose he was, but have you not considered that there might have been other ways to stop him?"

"His logging became an issue I could not stop through conventional means. So I resorted to unconventional ones."

"You mean by manipulating the mist and half scaring him to death?"

"Yes." Perseus stated bluntly, seemingly ending the conversation.

Hestia pursed her lips before speaking once more. "You have grown, Percy" She stated softly as she stared at her champion, although frowned as she saw him wince at her use of Percy.

"Why do you frown when I refer to you as Percy?" She asked curiously.

"Percy was forgotten a long time ago and I'd prefer it to stay that way." Perseus replied mechanically.

"Percy was a great hero, the bane of Kronos and Gaia, slayer of Hyperion and many more titles, why are you ashamed of who you are?"

"Because I am no longer him, he would be disgusted by me and rightly so. They were right to turn their backs on me. I am no longer deserving of those titles as they belong to another boy." He replied and his voice cracked as he did.

Hestia became quiet as she heard this and the fire became low.

"You have been guarding this forest against all forces that seek to claim it for a year now, Perseus, and you have done it well, but the time has come for you to leave. The satyrs have deemed the forest a Place of the Wild and have come to claim it in the name of Pan. They shall guard the forest in your stead." She commanded.

"What would you have me do now, Lady Hestia?" Perseus asked as he gazed at the forest that had been his home. He had defended it against hellhounds, cyclopes, loggers and many more that would see damage done to this place.

"Demi-Gods are on the rise and as such more and more are slipping through the satyrs' net. They need to be defended and brought to the Camp; it is unjust that they suffer death from our lack of care." The sky rumbled as she spoke but nothing more happened.

"Where do I begin?" Perseus replied without a hint of emotion causing Hestia to frown somewhat.

"New York. Monsters have begun to congregate there and any Demi-God will be at risk. Good luck Perseus, my only champion." She stated, her voice lowering to a soft tone as she wished him good luck.

A column of whirling fire surrounded Lady Hestia, and Perseus is once again alone in the forest. The fire crackled as if nothing had happened.

 **As always, any and all feedback is well received. Hope you enjoy:)**


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